Third-ranked Stanford women’s water polo cranked out 38 goals Saturday in Fresno, sweeping a doubleheader with wins of 18-4 and 20-4 over No. 9 Loyola Marymount and Fresno Pacific, respectively.
Maggie Steffens scored six goals to pace the Cardinal (13-1) over both games while the Neushul sisters, Kiley and Jamie, combined for nine goals, five coming from Jamie. All three Cardinal goalies saw action Saturday, combining for 13 saves.
The day opened with the Cardinal jumping out to a 9-0 lead on Loyola Marymount within the game’s opening 10:23. Steffens and Ashley Grossman each scored twice in the middle of the period, with their goals bookended by goals from Jamie and Kiley Neushul. Kiley went on to score two of the next three Cardinal goals to make it 9-0 with 5:37 remaining in the half.
Laura Lopez and Ivana Castro sandwiched a goal from Kelsey Suggs with goals of their own to get the Lions on the board and make it 10-2 just over two minutes before halftime. The Cardinal would add one more before the break, however, as Cory Dodson found the back of the net with 1:06 to go.
Steffens, Annika Dries and Melena Masson scored over the opening 2:20 of the second half to fuel a 5-0 run for the Cardinal which effectively iced the game.
Gabby Stone and Julia Hermann each played a half in goal, with Stone making six saves and Hermann stopping a pair of shots.
After a brief cool-down following the win over LMU, the Cardinal took on Fresno Pacific. After the teams traded goals in the opening minutes, the Cardinal got three straight goals from Dani Jackovich, Gurpreet Sohi and Jamie Neushul to end the first period up 4-1.
Steffens, Cassidy Papa, Kiley Neushul and Masson each scored within the first 2:55 of the second frame to make it 8-1 Cardinal before Alyssa Stevens got one back for Fresno Pacific. Yet goals from Jackovich and Papa kicked off a 7-0 run for Stanford that bled into the third period, giving the Cardinal a 15-2 lead.
Rachel Johnson would score a goal to open the fourth period while Jackovich would net the final two to cap off her four-goal performance.
Junior Emily Dorst started and played the first half against the SunBirds, making a pair of saves. Hermann took over for the third period and made a save while Stone worked the fourth, stopping two shots.
LMU – 0 2 0 2 = 4
Stanford – 6 5 5 2 = 18
Stanford Goal Scorers: Steffens 5, Grossman 3, K. Neushul 3, Suggs 2, C. Dodson, Dries, Masson, J. Neushul, Sohi
LMU Goal Scorers: Castro, Honny, Johnson, Lopez
Goalie Saves: Stone 6, Hermann 2 (S)
Stanford – 4 6 7 3 = 20
Fresno Pacific – 1 1 1 1 = 4
Stanford Goal Scorers: J. Neushul 4, C. Dodson 3, Jackovich 3, Sohi 3, K. Neushul 2, Papa 2, Johnson, Masson, Steffens
Fresno Pacific Goal Scorers: Apodaca 2, Marr, Stevens
Goalie Saves: Dorst 2, Hermann 1, Stone 2 (S); Harvey 5, Hall 2 (FPU)